China Entertainment started from Nortel 2002

Chapter 1031: The old man always wants to fleece me
"Hahaha, Director Li doesn't spoil them at all."

"Good job, look at that reporter's face, it seems he's turned blue!"

"I am dying of laughter. Unfortunately, the occasion is not right. We can't be too ostentatious!"

"."

Reporters from several domestic media were still whispering among themselves in the audience.

The New York Times reporter did look unhappy at the moment, but Li Mu's response was still topical, so at least his effort was not in vain.

At this time, a reporter from another American media, Variety, followed closely and asked:

"In recent years, Hollywood has been promoting gender equality in the film industry and calling for more female directors to participate in high-quality productions. As the president of the jury, what do you think of Cannes' performance in this area compared to the Oscars?"

When Li Mu heard this, his heart was immediately filled with joy. As expected, he would still bring up the Oscars.

In fact, at this time, if you respond to the questions directly, you will easily fall into the trap of self-proof, because questions can come one after another.

To put it simply, the so-called self-proving trap means that when facing doubts, if you are forced to use reason after reason to defend a certain point, it will make people feel that there is indeed a problem with that point.

It's like a person being asked, 'Why didn't you steal anything today? ' No matter how you explain, it may make people think you are suspected of stealing."

In order to avoid falling into the trap of self-justification, we have to refute it from another aspect.

Li Mu smiled, leaned forward slightly, tapped the microphone in front of him, and spoke in a relaxed tone:

"In fact, if we look at the data, 2021 films were released in the United States in 276, of which less than 12% were directed by women directors; and only % of the top American films at the North American box office were directed by women. Obviously, this is not an ideal number."

Li Mu's words caused the people in the audience to discuss among themselves in whispers.

"Director Li came prepared."

"This is probably something that was guessed in advance. Now this person is in trouble."

"."

When the domestic media heard that Li Mu knew the numbers so clearly, they knew that he had obviously prepared in advance, that is, he had guessed what you would ask.

After Li Mu's answer, the reporter from Variety looked a little flustered.

Li Mu paused for a moment, raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet, and then said:
“But this is not a problem of a single region, but a challenge that the global film industry needs to face.

Gender equality is a complex issue that involves social structure, the distribution of educational resources, and even the history of the film industry. We cannot simply use "quantity" as the only evaluation criterion, or focus too much on a particular film festival."

The reporter from Variety seemed a little embarrassed, but continued to ask: "So you mean that Cannes has done enough in this regard?"

Li Mu smiled calmly: "I have never said that anywhere is 'enough'. The Cannes organizing committee has indeed been working hard to promote diversity in recent years, including the selection of five female directors this year, which is a positive signal in itself.

But the responsibility of film festivals is to provide a level playing field so that outstanding works, regardless of gender, can be seen and discussed. This does not mean that other places, such as the Oscars, or Hollywood as a whole, are exempt from self-examination. "

He raised his hand and pointed to the audience:
“Instead of pointing all the finger at Cannes, we should ask how the industry as a whole treats female creators in everyday production.

For example, why are most of the top commercial blockbusters still directed by men? Why do many female filmmakers have to work harder to get the same opportunities as their male counterparts?

This rhetorical question successfully shifted the focus from Cannes to the broader industry level, and also made the reporter who asked the question speechless. Li Mu thought about it and continued:

"Gender equality is a common goal of the film industry, but it requires systemic change, not just a few shortlisted works at a certain film festival, or giving a certain award to certain films without considering fairness. Each of us should ask ourselves: In addition to pointing out the problem, what else can we do for this goal?"

As soon as Li Mu finished speaking, applause broke out from the audience, and many reporters even stood up to express their approval.

The members of the jury couldn't help but look at Li Mu. These words had already reached a higher level.

"Lee, as jury president, how do you define a film that is 'worthy of the Palme d'Or'? Does it need to be political or socially significant?"

A reporter from the French local media Le Figaro asked the question immediately.

Immediately afterwards, media from various countries including China, Britain, and South Korea took turns asking questions. Not only Li Mu, but also the other members of the jury were among those being questioned.

"Mr. Fumao, I think you should pay next time."

After the press conference, Fumao was smiling very happily, and it was obvious that he had been unhappy with the Hollywood media for a long time.

Hearing Li Mu's words, Fu Mao thought about it and couldn't help but smiled and said, "Of course, we can cooperate for a long time."

"."

My goodness, they want him to be a strong man. It's okay to be a judge occasionally, but it would be boring if it happens too frequently. Besides, it's impossible for you to be the chairman of the jury in every session.

Thinking of this, Li Mu quickly thought about leaving this old man, who was always trying to take advantage of him, and said quickly:

“I also have interviews with media in our country.”

Li Mu would naturally take special care of his own people. After all, the press conference was attended by global media, and even if Li Mu took special care of them, it would only be a few short words.

The exclusive interviews with Chinese filmmakers, especially with Li Mu's participation, made the Chinese media suddenly feel more confident in front of other media.

Tang Wei also came here specially, mainly because he was the only Chinese participating in the main competition unit this time, but unfortunately the producer and director were both from South Korea.

It was past eight o'clock in the evening and Li Mu was lying in the hotel, feeling somewhat tired.

Even though there was no film review this afternoon, a press conference and an interview consumed a lot of mental and physical energy.

However, at this time, the content of Li Mu’s press conference and interview had been posted on major domestic social media networks.

However, it was already past two o'clock in the capital, and many movie fans and netizens had already fallen asleep.

But the popularity is still soaring.

When I woke up early the next morning in Beijing time, the hot searches were already full of comments.

"No, I am dying of laughter. How dare Li Mu say that?"

"Hahaha, that's right, there is more than one gender. In the video, Li Mu said it so seriously. How could he not laugh?"

"He's quite good, but I'm more curious about how the Hollywood media will portray him."

(End of this chapter)